


Hardy's On Ice

by KarenHardy



Series: Hardy Three Mysteries [1]
Category: Hardy Boys - Franklin W. Dixon
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Fluff, Light Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-03
Updated: 2019-02-03
Packaged: 2019-10-21 20:27:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17649329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KarenHardy/pseuds/KarenHardy
Summary: All the Hardy kids wanted to do was skate. Too much to ask in this family. (Includes original Hardy sister, fite me)





	Hardy's On Ice

“Frank!” Ten year old Karen Hardy called from where she sat at the base of the stairs, pulling on her boots. “Joe! C’mon or the ice’ll be too thin to skate on!”

She was dressed in navy corduroy pants and a bright red puffy jacket, the latter garment a piece of winter clothing all of the Hardy children owned.

“Don’t worry, Karen. If the ice got too thin to skate on, we'd just make more snowmen!” Thirteen year old Joe teased, coming from the hall closet with his and Frank’s skates.

“Snowmen isn't as fun as hockey.” Karen pouted.

“Aren't.” Fourteen year old Frank corrected, descending from the stairs behind her, “And I beg to differ.”

“Well I beg to differ with your beg to differing.” She snapped back jokingly.

“I don't think that's a thing-” Frank started.

“Doesn't matter!” Joe interrupted. “We outnumber you. And we think hockey is better than snowman making.”

Karen crossed her arms and humphed in agreement. Frank rolled his eyes.

“Sure.” He chortled, “You go ahead and think that.”

“Let's go! I'll race ya!” Karen cried, grabbing her skates and hockey stick from where they sat on the stair beside her and dashing out the door, not bothering to shut it.

Joe mimicked her motion and followed, also leaving the door wide open, so Frank had to close door behind them, shaking his head in amusement.

Karen naturally beat them there, and was already out on the ice by the time they made it to the park, batting the puck around happily.

“You know you aren't supposed to go out on the ice without supervision, KK,” Frank reprimanded gently, “You could get hurt.”

“I'll be fine.”

“At least come off the ice until Joey and I can get our skates on.” He bargained.

“Fine.” She sighed.

She began skating towards them but stopped about half way across the frozen pond.

“Guys…” she croaked, “The ice right here is pretty thin…”

“Just go around,” said Joe, as if it was the most obvious solution in the world. He hadn't even looked up from lacing his skates.

“I can't…”

“Why not?” He asked, now looking up at her frightened face.

“Um, a’cause it's cracking.”

Sure enough, the ice under the youngest Hardy's feet was cracking and any step she took would result in her going under.

“Frank,” Joe addressed his brother, voice quavering, “She's gonna fall if we don't do something.”

Frank was already on his feet, and Joe rose quickly to be by his side. The look on Frank's face was one both of his siblings knew well. It was his analysis and planning look.

“You're going to have to jump over it.” Frank said finally.

“Are you nuts?” Both younger Hardy's asked him incredulously.

“No, I'm Frank.”

“Bad timing.” Karen whined softly.

“Sorry.” He said, “Habits.”

“It's okay.” She assured him.

“I do need you to jump, though. All of the cracks will be coming towards the point of the most pressure, so in this case; you, and there's no way for you to skate around, because that's where the cracks are coming from.”

“Are you sure you can catch her, Frank?” Joe questioned.

“I don't know if I can jump that far.” Karen interjected.

“You've got to try, K, because there's no way for either of us to get to you or you to get to the side without cracking the ice.”

She looked about ready to cry and Frank had half a right mind to join her tears.

“Promise you'll catch me?” She asked.

“Only if you make it this far.” He replied.

“And if I don't?”

“I’ll chase you into the water.”

“Promise that?” She asked.

“Yes.” He assured her, “And I wouldn't be surprised if Joe did too.”

“I'd stay above water and go get help.” Joe contradicted.

“That’s not-” Frank stopped.” Actually, that is also a good course of action.” He admitted.

“Y'know, I'm gonna go do that now.” Joe decided.

“Okay.” His siblings agreed in unison.

Joe looked at Karen one last time, clapped Frank on the back, and started running.

“I’ll come back with Dad!” He called over his shoulder, “Good luck!”

“We’ll need it.” Frank mumbled under his breath, then raising his voice so his sister could hear him, “Okay, KK, you’ve got to jump.”

“I’m scared.”

“You’ll be less scared here with me on the shore. And to get here you’ve got to jump.”

“O-okay. But you promise you’ll catch me if I make it?”

“I promise. And if you don't, I’ll be right behind you.”

He watched her get ready to jump, waiting as she crouched slightly to get more power, then holding out his arms when she started to jump, the silver blades of the white leather skates pushing off the ice, a flash of movement as she flew towards him. Her gloved hands ghosted over his, emptying his mind of all but one thought:

He wasn't going to catch her.

A scream tore itself from her throat and the last thing he heard before she crashed through the ice was his name and a strangled cry for help.

He pulled off his coat and boots as fast as he could, knowing they would weigh him down in the water, then dove in after her, offering a silent prayer that Joe would be back soon with their father in tow.

The water was much colder than the air above had been and Frank knew the longer he dallied the more numb the two of them would get. It was dark, but the hole above him provided just enough light to see shapes, the biggest of which, he could tell from the billowing coat, was his sister. Her skate was stuck in a crack in one of the rocks, and he could tell her stamina was rapidly fading as she struggled to pull her foot out of the crevice or the shoe.

He swam over and placed his hands around her ankle. He pulled a couple of times, but the steel blade would not free itself from the fissure. When that didn’t work, he tried to untie it.

There were dark spots flooding his vision, and Karen was already unconscious, despite her valiance at having been able to hold her breath for the entirety of the thirty seconds they’d been down there.

“ _ Being a singer must have its advantages _ ,” Frank supposed.

Even though he did recreational lap swim races in the summer, he'd never held his breath longer than a minute. The seconds felt like so much longer and Frank’s fingers were too numb to untie his sister's laces.

Suddenly, something sparked. He had an idea. Was it a safe idea? No. Was it probably going to kill him? Yeah. Would it save Karen? There was enough chance that Frank was willing to risk it.

He grabbed a stick from the floor of the pond and shoved it down the back of his sister's shoe. Then he pulled with all the might he had left. He heard the definite snap he had prepared himself for, and his sister's foot, now in a straight line with her leg, was set loose from its leather prison.

He used the last of his energy to make sure Karen broke the surface, and pushed her far enough onto the shore that her upper body was locked in the snow before he blacked out.

In the meantime, Joe was making his way back to the park with his father on his heels. When they arrived, they saw Karen passed out, laying partially on the shore, but Frank nowhere around.

“Oh my God.” Fenton gasped. “They must have fallen through.” In that moment he made his decision. “Take Karen home, Joe. I'll get Frank.”

His son saw the look his father was sporting and nodded gravely. He picked up his sister and started towards home.

Fenton dove into the frigid water and saw his son lying at bottom. He grabbed the young teen around the middle and swam up to the surface. He picked up Frank's jacket and wrapped it gently around his son, carrying him home.

Both Hardy children were admitted to the hospital for extreme exposure to the elements and possible frostbite, as well as the broken ankle Frank had given Karen to loose her from her shoe, but they were going to be okay. Overall, they would be okay, and that was what mattered.


End file.
